Improvement in coal-oil lanterns for railroad-cars



S. B. H.- VANCE.

Coal Oil Lantern for Railroad Cars.

No. 37,553. Patented Jany 27, 1863.

Wzfzzassss: jz'zvizziarx UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. H. vANcE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AssreNon TO MITCHELL,

vANoE & 00., OF sAM PLAoE.

IMPROVEMENT lN COAL-OIL LANTERNS FOR RAILROAD-CARS, dc.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,553, dated January27, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. H. VANoE, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Lantern or Lamp forBurning Coal-Oil, designed for Railroad-Cars, Steamboats, 850.; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 isafront "iew of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same,taken in the line as x, Fig.1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a coal-oil lantern or lamp forrailroad-cars, steamboats, and similar places where the flame is exposedto drafts of air.

Goal-oil lanterns or lamps have not hitherto been successfully used forsuch places, owing to the sensitiveness of the flame and the liabilityof the same to smoke on account ofdownward or back drafts and an unequalsupply of air. To obviate this difficulty, I attach a perforated cone tothe upper part of the lantern, and inclose said cone within a chamberwhich is provided with a draft-tube at its upper end, and is made tocommunicate at its lower end with the external air, the parts being soarranged as to allow a free escape of all downward currents of airwithout the same passing within the lantern, and at the same timeadmitting of v a free upward draft or current of air through the lanternto supply the flame with a requisite amount of air to insure propercombustion.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a lantern, which may be of quadrilateral or other properform, provided with glass sides and a metal frame.

B represents a lamp, which is fitted in the bottom of the lantern in anysuitable way to admit of being readily removed from and attached to thelantern. This lamp is provided with a coaloil burner, 0, having theusual glass chimney, D, attached to it. The bottom plate, a, of thelantern is perforated to admit of air passing into the lantern to supplythe flame.

()nthe upper part of the lantern there is attached a cone, E, which isperforated from its apex downward a suitabledistance. (See Fig. 2.) Thisperforated cone forms the top proper of the lantern, and it is inclosedwithin a sheet-metal chamber, F, which has a chimney, F, at its upperend.

The chamber F may be of bell shape, and is attached to abasc, G, whichhas a pendent plate, b, at each side of it, said plates extending down ashort distance at the sides of the lantern, and at such a distance fromthem as to admit of spaces 0 between the plates 1) and the sides of thelantern, said spaces affording a communication between the chamberF andthe external air, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The chamber F is secured to the upper part of the lantern by havingsockets or tubes (1 attached to the inner sides of the plate b one at ornear each corner-said sockets or tubes fitting on vertical rods e,attached to the sides of the lantern. By this arrangement the chamber Fmay be readily fitted on and removed from the lantern.

In case of a downward or back draft, the descending air will not passthrough the perforated cone E, but will be deflected by it down throughthe spaces 0, as indicated by the red arrows, while the draft of airthrough the lantern which supplies the flame with oxygen to supportcombustion will pass up through the perforated cone, as indicated by theblack arrows, and follow the downward draft through the spaces 0, thedraft from the lantern passing up through the chimney F when thedownward draft ceases.

Thus by this simple arrangement a coal-oil lantern is adapted for use inthe places specified. The cost of construction is not materiallyaugmented by the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The perforated cone E, in combination with the chamber F anddraft-chimney F, applied to the lantern A, as and for the purpose hereinset forth.

SAML. B. H. VANCE.

Witnesses M. S. PARTRIDGE, DANL. BoEERTsoN.

